Dragon's Lair
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OBJECT OF THE GAME
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You, Dirk the Darking, are on a quest to rescue the fair Princess Daphne who
has been kidnapped and is being held captive by Singe the Evil Dragon. To do
this you must survive a perilous journey and defeat all your adversaries. Make
your way through the castle and caverns below by using the controlle to move
and the "B" button to wield your sword. Beware of your foes as they are
numerous!
You must use your wit and reflexes to avoid the obstacles of each scene. These
rooms will require many attempts to master. In general, flashing items will
indicate either danger (when on a creature) or the direction to move (when on
an object).
Remember: The timing of your moves is critical. Reacting too early or too late
may end your quest abruptly.
PLAYING DRAGON'S LAIR
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You do not control all of Dirk's actions, rather you control his reactions to
the events that happen around him. As you watch the animations, you must decide
in which direction Dirk should move on the screen and when.
To finish a scene successfully, you must make a move or press the "B" button
when Dirk is in danger. Timing is very critical and often you make the correct
move but at the wrong time. Also, many scenes require more than one move. If
you are having trouble, watch the animation carefully and move Dirk in the
safest direction, or if no direction is safe, press the "B" button to use
Dirk's sword.
If you're sure you have made the correct move, make the move a little sooner or
a little later. Don't be surprised if Dirk doesn't react immediately after you
have made a move. You must wait for the animation to finish, and if you have
made the correct move(s), you will continue onto the next scene.
The game will end if you lose all of your lives or when you reach the Dragon's
Lair and defeat the Dragon himself. There you will find Princess Daphne who is
very happy to be rescued...
CONTROLS
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The "B" button will begin the game and once the game has begun, the "PAUSE"
button can be used to pause the scene. Press "PAUSE" again to resume play.
Dirk's sword or "FIRE" is controlled by the "B" button on your control pad. The
directions you will need are UP (top button), DOWN (botton button), LEFT (left
side button) and RIGHT (right side button) on your directional pad.
STARTING THE GAME
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After the CD has been inserted, the demo mode will automatically begin. To
start playing the game, simply press the "B" button on the controller. You will
know the game has started when you see Dirk walking across a drawbridge in
front of the castle. The bridge has a hole in it and several purple tentacles
will appear. As the tentacles begin to move towards Dirk, press the "B" button
once. Dirk will draw his sword and slay the tentacles. Next press the UP
direction and Dirk will climb back through the hole and run into the castle.
HINTS
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Note: Scenes will not necessarily appear in the following order.
(But now they are :)
Drawbridge
Dirk will walk across the bridge and fall through a hole. Several purple
tentacles will appear. As the tentacles begin to move towards Dirk, press the
"FIRE" button once. Dirk will draw and swing his sword. Halfway through the
swing, press UP once; Dirk will put his sword away, climb onto the bridge and
run into the castle.
End if Corridor
Dirk stands at the end of a corridor in front of three doors. As he looks
around, the roof starts to cave in and the floor to his left begins to crumble
away. Dirk must move right to exit out the remaining doors as the floor
crumbles away and the roof caves in.
Tentacles from Ceiling
As Dirk enters the room, a green tentacle will slither out of the ceiling. Dirk
must chop the tentacle in half. Various objects will flash in the room and Dirk
must move in the direction of the flashing objects.
Snake Room
Snakes slither out of the ceiling and walls. Dirk must chop the snakes. A
skeleton head drops from the ceiling and flashes. Pull the skull and exit
through the ceiling.
Swinging Ropes of Fire
The brave knight enters a champer filled with rising flames. The door behind
Dirk slams shut and the small stone patforms he is standing on begins to slide
into the wall. Dirk must reach out for the swinging ropes to open the door on
the other side of the chamber.
Pool of Water
Dirk approaches the small pool of water. The floor and ceiling start to
crumble. Dirk should follow the stone path and roll to avoid the daggers
shooting out of the wall. Jump into the pool and avoid the water snakes. Once
out of the pool, beware of the crumbling floors and ceilings. A big hairy
spider will drop from the ceiling. Dirk should chop the spider and run out the
door.
Bubbling Ooze in Kettle
After Dirk enters the room, bubbling green ooze will start to pour out of the
kettle. Dirk must chop the Ooze Monster in half before it tries to eat him.
Dirk must then face the Smoke Monster that comes out of the kettle. One quick
slash will destroy him!
The Goons
Emerging in a stairwell, Dirk is attacked by small purple goons. He can slay
the first but must climb the stairs and slay two more goons before exiting.
Sliding Stairs
Dirk starts down the stairs. They become slippery and he must keep from sliding
into the pit. Purple tentacles come out of the pit at the bottom of the stairs.
Dirk must slash and then avoid the tentacles. A chain hanging from the ceiling
won't help him. Go to the hole and exit.
The Smithy
Dirk enters the forge room and is attacked by a magic flying sword. A flying
mace will also come at him. He must jump aside to avoid the anvil and parry a
glowing spear. As Dirk jumps to the forge, he must battle the stone statue who
magically comes to life!
Giant Spinning Batons
As Dirk approaches these, he must pick the right moment to try and run through
them. Once past them, he is confronted by a Cloaked Spectre. Dirk must jump
towards him and them must use his sword to defeat the Spectre. Avoid the
growing vines on the side of the pathway.
The Wind Room
The wind swirls all around Dirk. There is a hole in the wall with a diamond in
it, but don't go for the diamond! Dirk must leave throught the flashing door.
Closing Wall
As the wall closes up around Dirk, the door ahead of him will flash. Dirk must
jump towards the flashing door.
Room of Fire
Dirk must avoid the fire and lightning being flung at him from all sides. Look
behind the bench to escape.
Metallic Flying Horse
Dirk finds a room with a metal horse sitting in its center. As Dirk sits in the
saddle reaching up for the gem on the horse's head, he awakens the sleeping
mount. The horse rears up and carries the knight straight towards pillars and a
wall which Dirk must avoid. Watch out for curtains of fire!
Checkered Floor Knight
As Dirk enters the room the Black Knight will materialize. The Knight will bang
his sword against the floor causing electricity to flow along the checkered
tiles, but don't be shocked! Dirk must jump to the tiles surrounding him that
are not covered by electricity. Once past this, Dirk must defeat the Knight and
exit the room.
Haunted Hallway
Dirk is attacked by clattering skulls and a giant skeleton claw that emerge
from the doorways. Black ooze will pour out of the door on both sides as a
second skeleton claw approaches Dirk. More black ooze slimes out of the
doorways and must be avoided. Dirk should jump out the door into the crypt. He
is attacked by skeleton ghosts that can be destroyed in one slash!
Large Wooden Platforms
As Dirk walks along a wooden platform suspended above the castle's dark
interior, the wood planks begin to break away. He must jump to the remaining
section of the platform and them climb the rope back into the castle spire.
Bats
As Dirk walks down the stairs, bats will try to attack him as the section ahead
crumbles away. Dirk must avoid the bats by jumping across the hole. He must
destroy the giant bat!
Falling Platform
Dirk steps on a round wooden platform. The platform starts to fall through a
circular shaft. It stops intermittently at rocky ledges for Dirk to jump off.
Timing is everything in jumping off this falling platform!
The Lizard King
Dirk is confronted by a large walking lizard dressed in royal robes. As Dirk
draws his sword to battle the Lizard King, a pot of gold flies past and takes
the knight's sword with it. Dirk must follow the pot in order to retrieve his
sword and battle the Lizard.
Drink Me
As Dirk walks into the room, a sign on the north wall will flash. Shortly after
the door will flash. Dirk should not drink the potion, he should exit the room.
Checkerboard Corridor
The floor beneath Dirk's feet starts to flash and the checkerboard section
begins to fall away. Dirk must jump to the parts of the floor that remain and
then out one of the doors.
Magnetic Ball
As Dirk approaches the magnetic ball, his helmet and sword are drawn away from
him by the electicity. The pulsating electricity then starts to cover the
floor. Dirk must jump to the safe parts to end up sitting in the throne. The
throne revolves it another part of the castle, but the electricity follows.
Dirk must again dodge the electricity.
Rapids / Whirlpools
RAPIDS: Dirk must paddle into the safe current in the rapids and then straight
into the tunnel at the end of the channel.
WHIRLPOOLS: As Dirk approached a whirlpool, he must paddle around the swirling
water. Dirk must be sure to grap the chain and swing in the door as
the boat smashes.
Lava Field of the Mudmen
Dirk walks across a field of lava and is attacked by the Mudmen who live there.
Realizing his sword would be useless, Dirk must jump over several geysers,
avoid the Mudmen, and run along a stone bridge before finally escaping through
a hole in the cavern wall.
Phantom Knight
Dirk must avoid the charging Knight while also avoiding the giant thorns
pushing up through the earth. Dirk should jump into the small cave to finally
escape.
Rolling Balls
After Dirk enters the room, a large black ball will appear rolling up from
behind him. Ahead of Dirk down the tunnel, smaller balls are rolling up and
down the walls. Dirk must wait for a smaller ball to roll by before moving away
from the larger black ball.
The Round Cage
The case of the cage surround Dirk and starts to glow. Dirk must jump through
the crashing doors and follow the stairs up to cross a bridge. To cross this
bridge though, Dirk must evade the gushing geyser shooting up through the
bridge.
The Dragon's Lair
Dirk is now inside the Dragon's Lair, but beware! Singe the Dragon is asleep
and should not be awakened. Throughout the room there are balancing dishes and
some of them are about to fall. If a column of balancing dishes flashes, Dirk
should catch it, otherwise move away from the dishes. Eventually the Princess
will Dirk what he should do. Listen very carefully and follow her instructions.
Singe the Dragon is awake and he knows where you're hiding! As Singe reaches
around the column to grab him, Dirk must duck and run away. Singe will swing
his tail trying to flatten Dirk; Dirk must dodge the tail. Dirk should pull the
magic sword out of the large gem. Singe turns around exposing his soft belly;
Dirk can now slay the Dragon and save the Princess!